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    Accountability & Finance

    We analyze organizations' governance practices and financial health to help donors find transparent, efficient, and sustainable charities.

    This beacon equips donors with information on how charities operate and how they are stewarding the donations they receive.

    How We Assess Charities' Transparency and Financial Responsibility

     

    Throughout the year, we receive the annual tax filings (Forms 990) that charities submit to the IRS. We leverage several fields in the IRS Form 990 to generate scores for charities' Accountability & Finance beacons. Charities need at least three consecutive years of data to receive a score.

     

    Depending on the organization's size and whether it is funded primarily by donations, some additional metrics are applicable. Explore the list below to learn more about each metric and its applicability.

    Accountability Metrics

    We check to see if the charity has published its most recently filed IRS Form 990 on its website. A direct link from a charity's website to its Form 990 on an external site is sufficient. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. For donor-funded nonprofits with more than $50 million in annual revenue, we check the charity's website directly. For all other organizations, we check the charity's tax form to see if it discloses that the 990 is available on the charity's website.

     

    Financial Metrics

    Applies to donor-funded charities with more than $2 million in annual revenue.

     

    Financially effective charities should be efficient fundraisers, spending less to raise more. We calculate an organization's fundraising efficiency by determining how much it spends to generate $1 in charitable contributions. We calculate the charity’s average fundraising expenses and total contributions over its three most recent fiscal years and then assign a numeric score based on an established scale.

    Find Accountable Charities


    Discover charities rated on Accountability & Finance. Find a new and exciting giving opportunity.